This invention relates to gas discharge devices, especially multiple gas discharge display/memory devices which have an electrical memory and which are capable of producing a visual display or representation of data such as numerals, letters, radar displays, aircraft displays, binary words, educational displays, etc.
Multiple gas discharge display and/or memory panels of one particular type with which the present invention is concerned are characterized by an ionizable gaseous medium, usually a mixture of at least two gases at an appropriate gas pressure, in a thin gas chamber or space between a pair of opposed dielectric charge storage members which are backed by conductor (electrode) members, the conductor members backing each dielectric member typically being appropriately oriented so as to define a plurality of discrete gas discharge units or cells.
In some prior art panels the discharge cells are additionally defined by surrounding or confining physical structure such as apertures in perforated glass plates and the like so as to by physically isolated relative to other cells. In either case, with or without the confining physical structure, charges (electrons, ions) produced upon ionization of the elemental gas volume of a selected discharge cell, when proper alternating operating potentials are applied to selected conductors thereof, are collected upon the surfaces of the dielectric at specifically defined locations and constitute an electrical field opposing the electrical field which created them so as to terminate the discharge for the remainder of the half cycle and aid in the initiation of a discharge on a succeeding opposite half cycle of applied voltage, such charges as are stored constituting an electrical memory.
Thus, the dielectric layer prevent the passage of substantial conductive current from the conductor members to the gaseous medium and also serve as collecting surfaces for ionized gaseous medium charges (electrons, ions) during the alternate half cycles of the A.C. operating potentials, such charges collecting first on one elemental or discrete dielectric surface area on alternate half cycles to constitute an electrical memory.
An example of a panel structure containing non-physically-isolated or open discharge cells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,167 issued to Theodore C. Baker, et al.
An example of a panel containing physically isolated cells is disclosed in the article by D. L. Bitzer and H. G. Slottow entitled "The Plasma Display Panel--A Digitally Addressable Display With Inherent Memory", Proceeding of the Fall Joint Computer Conference, IEEE, San Francisco, Calif., November 1966, pp. 541-547. Also reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,190.
In the construction of the panel, a continuous volume of ionizable gas is confined between a pair of dielectric surfaces backed by conductor arrays typically forming matrix elements. The cross conductor arrays may be orthogonally related (but any other configuration of conductor arrays may be used) to define a plurality of opposed pairs of charge storage areas on the surfaces of the dielectric bounding or confining the gas. Thus, for a conductor matrix having H rows and C columns the number of elemental or discrete areas will be twice the number of such elemental discharge cells.
In addition, the panel may comprise a so-called monolithic structure in which the conductor arrays are created on a single substrate and wherein two or more arrays are separated from each other and from the gaseous medium by at least one insulating member. In such a device the gas discharge takes place not between two opposing electrodes, but between two contiguous or adjacent electrodes on the same substrate; the gas being confined between the substrate and an outer retaining wall.
It is also feasible to have a gas discharge device wherein some of the conductive or electrode members are in direct contact with the gaseous medium and the remaining electrode members are appropriately insulated from such gas, i.e., at least one insulated electrode.
In addition to the matrix configuration, the conductor arrays may be shaped otherwise. Accordingly, while the preferred conductor arrangement is of the crossed grid type as discussed herein, it is likewise apparent that where a maximal variety of two dimensional display patterns is not necessary, as where specific standardized visual shapes (e.g., numerals, letters, words, etc.) are to be formed and image resolution is not critical, the conductors may be shaped accordingly, i.e., a segmented display.
The gas is one which produces visible light or invisible radiation which stimulates a phosphor (if visual display is an objective) and a copious supply of charges (ions and electrons) during discharge.
In prior art, a wide variety of gases and gas mixtures have been utilized as the gaseous medium in a gas discharge device. Typical of such gases include CO; CO.sub.2 ; halogens; nitrogen; NH.sub.3 ; oxygen; water vapor; hydrogen; hydrocarbons; P.sub.2 O.sub.5 ; boron fluoride, acid fumes; TiCl.sub.4 ; Group VIII gases; air; H.sub.2 O.sub.2, vapors of sodium, mercury, thallium, cadmium, rubidium, and cesium; carbon disulfide, laughing gas; H.sub.2 S; deoxygenated air; phosphorus vapors; C.sub.2 H.sub.2 ; CH.sub.4 ; napthalene vapor; anthracene; freon; ethyl alcohol; methylene bromide; heavy hydrogen; electron attaching gases; sulfur hexafluoride, tritium; radioactive gases; and the rare or inert gases.
In one preferred embodiment hereof the medium comprises at least one rare gas, more preferably at least two, selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, or xenon.
In an open cell Baker, et al. type panel, the gas pressure and the electric field are sufficient to laterally confine charges generated on discharge within elemental or discrete dielectric areas within the perimeter of such areas, especially in a panel containing non-isolated discharge cells. As described in the Baker, et al. patent, the space between the dielectric surfaces occupied by the gas is such as to permit photons generated on discharge in a selected discrete or elemental volume of gas to pass freely through the gas space and strike surface areas of dielectric remote from the selected discrete volumes, such remote, photon struck dielectric surface areas thereby emitting electrons so as to condition at least one elemental volume other than the elemental volume in which the photons originated.
With respect to the memory function of a given discharge panel, the allowable distance or spacing between the dielectric surfaces depends, inter alia, on the frequency of the alternating current supply, the distance typically being greater for lower frequencies.
While the prior art does disclose gaseous discharge devices having externally positioned electrodes for initiating a gaseous discharge, sometimes called "electrodeless discharge", such prior art devices utilized frequencies and spacing or discharge volumes and operating pressures such that although discharges are initiated in the gaseous medium, such discharges are ineffective or not utilized for charge generation and storage at higher frequencies; although charge storage may be realized at lower frequencies, such charge storage has not been utilized in a display/memory device in the manner of the Bitzer-Slottow or Baker, et al. invention.
The term "memory margin" is defined herein as ##EQU1## wherein V.sub.f is the half amplitude of the smallest sustaining voltage signal which results in a discharge every half cycle, but at which the cell is not bi-stable and V.sub.E is the half amplitude of the minimum applied voltage sufficient to sustain discharges once initiated.
It will be understood that the basic electrical phenomenon utilized in this invention is the generation of charges (ions and electrons) alternately storable at pairs of opposed or facing discrete points or areas on a pair of dielectric surfaces backed by conductors connected to a source of operating potential. Such stored charges result in an electrical field opposing the field produced by the applied potential that created them and hence operate to terminate ionization in the elemental gas volume between opposed or facing discrete points or areas of dielectric surface. The term "sustain a discharge" means producing a sequence of momentary discharges, at least one discharge for each half cycle of applied alternating sustaining voltage, once the elemental gas volume has been fired, to maintain alternate storing of charges at pairs of opposed discrete areas on the dielectric surfaces.
As used herein, a cell is in the "on state" when a quantity of charge is stored in the cell such that on each half cycle of the sustaining voltage, a gaseous discharge is produced.
In addition to the sustaining voltage, other voltages may be utilized to operate the panel, such as firing, addressing, and writing voltages.
A "firing voltage" is any voltage, regardless of source, required to discharge a cell. Such voltage may be completely external in origin or may be comprised of internal cell wall voltage in combination with externally originated voltages.
An "addressing voltage" is a voltage produced on the panel X-Y electrode coordinates such that at the selected cell or cells, the total voltage applied across the cell is equal to or greater than the firing voltage whereby the cell is discharged.
A "writing voltage" is an addressing voltage of sufficient magnitude to make it probable that on subsequent sustaining voltage half cycles, the cell will be in the "on state".
In the operation of a multiple gaseous discharge device, of the type described hereinbefore, it is necessary to condition the discrete elemental gas volume of each discharge cell by supplying at least one free electron thereto such that a gaseous discharge can be initiated when the cell is addressed with an appropriate voltage signal.
The prior art has disclosed and practiced various means for conditioning gaseous discharge cells.
One such means of panel conditioning comprises a so-called electronic process whereby an electronic conditioning signal or pulse is periodically applied to all of the panel discharge cells, as disclosed for example in British patent specification No. 1,161,832, page 8, lines 56 to 76. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,190 and "The Device Characteristics of the Plasma Display Element" by Johnson, et al., IEEE Transactions On Electron Devices, September, 1971. However, electronic conditioning is self-conditioning and is only effective after a discharge cell has been previously conditioned; that is, electronic conditioning involves periodically discharging a cell and is therefore a way of maintaining the presence of free electrons. Accordingly, one cannot wait too long between the periodically applied conditioning pulses since there must be at least one free electron present in order to discharge and condition a cell.
Another conditioning method comprises the use of external radiation, such as flooding part or all of the gaseous medium of the panel with ultraviolet radiation. This external conditioning method has the obvious disadvantage that it is not always convenient or possible to provide external radiation to a panel, especially if the panel is in a remote position. Likewise, an external UV source requires auxiliary equipment. Accordingly, the use of internal conditioning is generally preferred.
One internal conditioning means comprises using internal radiation, such as by the inclusion of a radioactive material.
Another means of internal conditioning, which we call photon conditioning, comprises using one or more so-called pilot discharge cells in the on-state for the generation of photons. This is particularly effective in a so-called open cell construction (as described in the Baker, et al. patent) wherein the space between the dielectric surfaces occupied by the gas is such as to permit photons generated on discharge in a selected discrete or elemental volume of gas (discharge cell) to pass freely through the panel gas space so as to condition other and more remote elemental volumes of other discharge units. In addition to or in lieu of the pilot cells, one may use other sources of photons internal to the panel.
Internal photon conditioning may be unreliable when a given discharge unit to be addressed is remote in distance relative to the conditioning source, e.g., the pilot cell. Accordingly, a multiplicity of pilot cells may be required for the conditioning of a panel having a large geometric area. In one highly convenient arrangement, the panel matrix border (perimeter) is comprised of a plurality of such pilot cells.
In a multiple gas discharge display/memory device utilized for visual display, visible light is emitted from the area of each discharge cell in the "on state". However, a portion of this light is typically blocked from view by the width of the conductor electrode. Although one or both electrodes can be constructed out of transparent materials, such materials are usually low in electroconductivity.
The practice of this invention allowed the relative position of a gas discharge to be controlled so as to increase the visibility of light emitted therefrom.
In accordance with the practice of this invention, the gas discharge of a selected gas discharge cell is controllably positioned by providing opposing areas of high electron yield material on each opposing dielectric charge storage surface, each area being located at or near a cell site and surrounded by a low electron yield material.
More particularly, isolated island-like areas of high electron yield material are applied as opposite area pairs to each opposing dielectric charge storage surface, each area being surrounded by a low electron yield material and each pair being positioned at or near the site of a gas discharge cell such that the discharge can be selectively controlled.
The low electron yield material and the high electron yield material may be applied to each dielectric surface by any convenient process. Typical processes of application include photolithography, chemical deposition, electron beam evaporation, sputtering, deposition through a mastic such as silk screening and so forth.
In one specific embodiment, a continuous or discontinuous layer of low electron yield material is first applied to each opposing charge storage surface with islands of high electron yield material then being selectively applied over the layer of low electron yield material.
In another embodiment, the islands are first applied and the low electron yield material is then applied so as to surround, without covering, the islands.
The islands (or spots) of high electron yield material may be of any suitable geometric shape such as circular, triangular, rectangular, square, etc. Also the geometry may include insulated lines, dots, and so forth.
The layer thickness of each material--low or high electron yielding--must be at least 100 angstrom units with a range of about 100 to about 50,000 angstrom units.
As used herein, the term "electron yield" refers to the material's secondary electron emission produced by heavy particle impact and/or photons as determined by Townsend's second ionization (gamma) coefficient. Reference is made to Introduction to Electrical Discharges in Gases by Sanborn C. Brown, published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1966, especially pages 119 to 123.
A high electron yield material is one having a high Townsend second coefficient. A low electron yield material is one having a low Townsend second coefficient.
In the practice of this invention, the ratio of the high Townsend coefficient material to the low Townsend coefficient material is typically at least 1:5. The higher the ratio, the more the discharges will tend to be focused at the islands of high electron yield material.
Examples of high electron yield materials include lead oxide, bismuth oxide, and rare earth sesquioxides, especally ytterbium oxide, lanthanum oxide, erbium oxide, and samarium oxide. Some particularly preferred high electron yield materials include magnesium oxide, and various cesium compounds such as, cesium oxide and the cesium halides, such as cesium fluoride and cesium iodide.
Examples of low electron yield materials include aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, and hafnium oxide. Such particularly preferred low electron yield materials include elemental carbon and silicon.
In one embodiment hereof, it is contemplated treating a high electron yield material so as to convert it into a low electron yield material. This may be accomplished by means of ion implantation, sputtering techniques, and so forth.